New Beginnings
by icea-blaize
Summary: Sasuke prepared to kill the woman sobbing on the still warm body of his defeated brother. The mysterious masked Akatsuki blocked his path and reprimanded him mockingly. "Manners, Sasuke. That's no way to treat the new Uchiha matriarch." Still refining the details a bit; tell me what you think.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own anything about Naruto. *sigh*

Chapter 1

Emptiness was all that was left in the aftermath of the battle between Uchiha brothers. A heavy fog of smoke and ash blanketed the charred, barren ruins. The last of the legendary clan sat still, unmoving, unthinking, unable to move on from the second hardest shock dealt to him; the death of his most beloved and most hated aniki. Now there was nothing.

_ Footsteps… _

Instinct took immediate action and Sasuke was on high alert. Though to any untrained eye, it looked as though he were still as numb and dead to the world as before. There was no question of friend or foe; every living being was a threat to Sasuke. Every shinobi nation wanted him dead, simple as that. So he waited in the still silence.

A muffled echo cried out, the air choking out the words before they could reach his ears. Shortly there came another cry, and another, some clearer than others, as if the owner were wandering, searching, lost. Finally he heard the desperate voice ring out.

_"Itachi…" _and again,_ "Itachi…"_

Sasuke's fried nerves felt yet another dull shock. Who was this unknown person to be looking for his dead brother? How could they possibly know he was to be found here of all places?

_"Itachi…"_

What do they want with Itachi?

Possession and rage soon filled avenger's mind. How dare they seek out his brother! Itachi was his alone and no one else would dare take him away! He's mine!

_I'll kill them…_

A shadowy figure soon faded in from the cloud of smoke surrounding them, coughing a little as it continued it's futile search. Sasuke locked onto his target with red eyes only to realize that the weak chakra belonged to a civilian, setting of yet another round of questions. Of course once logic finally made its way back home he realized that even pre-genin wouldn't stumble into a fresh battlefield at full volume; well, except the dobe, naturally.

An average sized female, finally in full view, gradually made her way through the wreckage, stumbling a little as she went. Itachi's body still lay slumped against the wall where at long last he fell in battle.

"Itachi?" A slight bit of hope nipped at her voice, only to vanish with a frantic panic.

"Itachi…? ITACHI! Iie Itachi! Iie…iie…" The woman collapsed at the dead Uchiha's side, sobbing and flinging her arms around him as if trying to hold his very soul back from leaving his body. Sasuke pulled his frayed emotions back inside and smothered them until all that was left was his cold, calculating self once more. His brother was gone, and a woman who dared to mourn a death far beyond her comprehension would die, and then he would go. Sasuke slowly approached. On a whim, he decided he would learn her name and what she was to his brother before he ended her life.

"Who are you?" His calm voice cut through, and the woman started in surprise before gazing at him with wide, bloodshot eyes. Her still tongue irritated him; he hated repeating himself.

"Who are you? How do you know Itachi?" At this, she turned her eyes back to Itachi, before again giving her full attention to her unknown soon-to-be killer. Still she said nothing. Sasuke growled out in anger at her defiance.

"Answer me or I'll kill you!" Sasuke drew a kunai and make to strike, but a twist in the air around them made him pause, for in his way stood a masked man, wearing the cloak of his brother, of the Akatsuki. The man raised his arm and shook a finger at Sasuke chastisingly.

"Ah, ah, ah, Sasuke-kun. You may regret killing this one, you will. For she carries a secret with her, one of great interest to you." At this he turned to the woman behind him, and held out his hand for her to take. Recognition flitted across her face before she took the offered hand and stood, to be briefly drawn into the comforting embrace of the mysterious Akatsuki. Skeptically Sasuke stood impatient, untrusting of anyone, much less of this man who appeared out of nowhere.

"I have all the answers you need, ones you don't even realize you are missing. Many secrets involving your dear aniki and the truth behind the massacre of your clan." Sasuke had just about reached his limit, too much too soon had happened, the completion of his vengeance, the feelings for his brother long forgotten, any minute now his mind will be toast.

"Who is she?" Then he asked her directly, "What are you to Itachi?" She simply continued to look between the two shinobi silently. The other man gave a strange sort of chuckle.

"I'm afraid you won't get much out of her, Sasuke-kun. Itachi wasn't too bent on teaching her our language. I assume he thought it easier to learn hers instead." He shrugged his shoulders. "No matter, I suppose. What's more important is what he left her with." Sasuke was done talking. He readied his kunai for the kill.

"Nothing he left behind is of importance to me anymore; Itachi's role in my existence has ended. Move or be killed as well." The masked man crossed his arms nonchalantly.

"Be still, Sasuke. You wouldn't want to frighten the Uchiha matriarch, now would you?" At this, the Akatsuki was silent, allowing the young Uchiha to put the pieces together at his own pace.

A myriad of emotions crossed the normally stoic features of Uchiha Sasuke. Surprise, confusion, skepticism, longing, despair… it all came crashing down around him as realization came to pass. The strong, last surviving Uchiha fell to his knees in awe before this earlier disguised gift he had almost thrown away carelessly. The empty whole in his existence swelled with a new meaning, a new goal, a light in his everlasting darkness. The last thought that passed through his blank mind as he wrapped his arms gently around the waist of the beautiful angel sent to him went something like,

"Aniki, you made me an uncle…"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Tobi watched as the ex-konoha shinobi collapsed on the young woman, toppling her backwards onto the ground. Eyes wide with concern looked to him, searching for reassurance, as she often had before. She never understood his words, but still he always answered her unspoken questions.

"It's alright, he'll be fine, little onna," his tone eased her distress, and she pulled free from her heavy burden and stood with him. She looked between the two fallen males, no doubt seeing the uncanny resemblance.

"Uchiha…Itachi, Uchiha…Sasuke," The unspoken question in her limited vocabulary, he knew, was asking if they were related somehow. Frustrating as it was that the only one who could translate for her was now gone, he would have to exercise patience and make due. Of course Itachi, always thinking ahead, counted on her ignorance to keep her safe. She knew little because she could understand little, and would be useless for interrogation on any intel the enemy might want. Damn that Itachi.

"Hai, little onna. Itachi's okaa-san and Sasuke's okaa-san are one okaa-san," he held up one finger for emphasis. "Now it is time to go." He opened the alternate dimension through his sharingan, pulling in first Itachi, then Sasuke. He stopped short from pulling in the girl, though.

"Better not do that, we shouldn't take any unnecessary risks." He gave her a once over as she waited to see what he would do next. "We must be extra careful, for sure. Even you don't realize it yet, little onna." He motioned for her to follow. "Come. We will walk, hai?" She nodded her understanding, and the two of them set off on the long walk back in comfortable silence.

Hatake Kakashi was enjoying another peaceful moment in the world of Icha Icha with his ever faithful companion, Pakkun, asleep at the foot of the bed. A small 'pop' had the little dog lifting his head to greet one of his packmates, and the two exchanged a few short woofs before the newcomer took his leave with another small 'pop.'

"Anything interesting today?" Kakashi lolled his lone eye to meet Pakkun's equally lazy ones. The little pug looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Just something us dogs will be keeping an eye on for now. I'll let you know if anything develops from it, hai?" He paused in thought once more, then lay his head down to finish his afternoon nap. Kakashi trusted his dogs' judgement on such matters, and so returned to the happy place inside the pages of his book.


	3. Chapter 3

a/n: I went back to the manga to see where the story breaks off from being cannon, and I guess I can break cannon right after the brothers' battle.

**spoiler alert**

Also I figure the time zetzu goes and informs tobi of itachi's death and tobi ditches team 7 and the others would be happening while Sasuke is sitting in the aftermath of his battle with Itachi before the OC makes her entrance. I'll have to tweak the scene with Kakashi at some point, cause Kakashi can't be relaxing at home if he's out fighting Tobi that same day lol but for now I'll leave it. Here's chapter 3.

Enjoy!

Sasuke opened his exhausted eyes as he sat up from a makeshift bed on the cool floor. His mind was foggy, unable to remember anything at the moment. It had been many years since he had felt like this; a flash of his younger self from another life danced on the back of his thoughts. There had been a few times back then, he knew, before he knew what a real battle was. How foolish and weak he had been; just like his brother always told him.

'_That's right…my brother…' _He scanned his dark surroundings sluggishly, but was unable to see much. There was a rustle of fabric off to the left, just out of sight. _It's that masked Akatsuki._ Sasuke didn't acknowledge him; instead he blankly stare far beyond the floor in front of him as his body slowly tried to recoup. The Akatsuki spoke calmly, almost hushed.

"I see you've awakened. There are things I wish to discuss with you, as I mentioned before. How are you feeling?" Sasuke didn't bother with answering. Feeling was for the weak.

"Still so stubborn? Perhaps if I tell you that I am an Uchiha like you…?" The mask was inched just enough to reveal an eerily glowing sharingan; Sasuke's eyes widened at this new revelation.

"I see I have your full attention now. Listen well as I tell you everything your brother tried desperately to keep from you: the truth about the Uchiha clan massacre."

The two shinobi walked through the multitude of corridors of the hideout, an intense, dark aura radiated from the younger one while his face maintained a cold, uncaring façade. The masked shinobi stopped just before the entrance came into view.

"So Sasuke-kun, what do you plan to do, now that your lifelong dream has been fulfilled?" Without looking back, his hate-filled voice declared,

"I'm going to destroy Konoha, and crush the elders for what they made my brother do. Once that pathetic village is gone, I can rebuild my clan…" Another memory came crashing into Sasuke like ice water. He whipped around to look back the way they came from, red eyes almost frantic in their search.

"I was wondering when you might ask," Tobi mocked lightly as he casually turned and led the way. Sasuke followed like a curious little kitten, his previous demeanor had completely vanished. Not just a few rooms ahead, he pointed to an unnoticeable room to the side, then motioned for Sasuke to wait. "Poor thing was tired after her outing, decided to take a nap when we got back. I'll go wake her for you." He disappeared through the doorway, and Sasuke peeked around the corner to see a lightly furbished room with a heavily cushioned futon against the back wall. A small table holding a water pitcher and a bowl of assorted fruits and vegetables was placed nearby, and a palette of cushions lay at the foot of a short bookcase.

"Little onna…time to wake little onna. Sasuke is here for you." Sleepy eyes drifted open as she pulled herself from slumber, sitting up to greet her companion.

"O-ha-you Tobi-san." Her words were slow and concise, every syllable stressed evenly from perfect practice. Tobi reached for her water and fruit bowl, offering it to her.

"Eat, little onna. Drink. The future depends on you to stay healthy." His words were meaningless to her, but his emphasis on the meal was obvious enough.

"Hai, hai," she let him know how exasperating he was, but she ate and drank her fill all the same. He rose and walked about the room, gathering what little she might need as he went, and placed it all in a small waist pouch. She stood and watched him. Another akatsuki had done this before with her, when they'd moved her to a new home. Itachi had been there waiting for them, and had explained to her that the new location would be safer, apologizing that he had not been able to retrieve her himself. Kisame-san, she remembered his name, had packed her on his back, running nonstop for hours it felt like. Considering that it was Kisame-san, it probably was hours, she mused.

Sasuke decided to make his presence known and approached her. When she noticed him, she turned fully to greet him as well. "O-ha-you Sasuke-san," she gave a light bow. Sasuke bowed just slightly deeper, as protocol required. "Ohayou…uh…" He faltered, not knowing what to call her. He gestured to himself.

"My name is U-chi-ha Sa-suke," he spoke slowly, hoping she would catch on. "Sasuke," he stressed his name once more. She studied him carefully, he was telling her his name, but she already knew that, she'd already addressed him in greeting.

"Hai, Uchiha Sasuke," she agreed. Sasuke waved her words off, then gestured to himself again. "Uchiha Sasuke," then he pointed to her. "What is _your_ name?"

She looked confused for a moment, then suddenly her light clicked on.

"Oh duh, I knew that," she mumbled to herself. Her words sounded like jibberish to Sasuke. She repeated his earlier greeting, hoping she didn't butcher it too much.

"Mah nay miss Nikita." Did he understand?

"Ni-ki-ta?" he repeated the syllables, testing the way they felt on his tongue.

"Hai," she confirmed. Sasuke bowed to her in greeting once more.

"Ohayou, Nikita-sama," he addressed her by her proper title, showing that he accepted her as a higher rank, the matriarch of his clan, and as the widow of his older brother.

At that point the other occupant of the room interjected; once the girl was safe with Sasuke he had other matters to tend to. It seemed they would get along with each other just fine without him. He handed the packed waist pouch to the girl, and motioned her towards Sasuke.

"Sayounara, little onna. Go with Sasuke," he shooed her off towards the doorway, but she paused and looked back to face him. "Sa-you-nara, Tobi-san," she bowed, then turned and walked out with Sasuke close behind.

His attitude immediately darkened as soon as they had left.

"Arrogant little brat, aren't we Sasuke-kun?" He drew a small breath, then spit out a grandeur of trademark flames throughout the room. Amid the angry red and orange inferno, he let out a terrifying chuckle before disappearing into the void.


	4. Chapter 4

a/n: Well, I think it's time to introduce the new little lady to the rest of team hebi, don't you?

Chapter 4

"Shut up, baka! And I don't _pine_ over Sasuke-kun," Karin readjusted her glasses and flipped her hair back with a "Hmph!" at her overly irritating teammate. Suigetsu gave a look back to the much quieter member beside him, who wanted as little involvement in their antics as possible. The two made things more difficult by dragging him in to pick sides all the time as well.

"Hold on a second," Karin hushed them all and narrowed her eyes; her nerves were tingling with a familiar chakra nearby. The boys watched silently, not knowing if she felt friend or foe. Karin spun about to her 5 o clock and pointed dramatically, exclaiming "Sasuke-kun!" before abruptly shooting off through the trees. Not a second later the other two were right beside her, eager to meet up with their leader.

Branches and leaves whipped past Karin's face as she led the way. _Almost there…_ One final leap into the air and they popped out through the tree line one, two, three to land before Sasuke, who'd heard them come crashing through from the word go. He waited for them to speak.

"Sasuke-kun, I was so worried about you! Not that you'd need worrying about, of course, but you were gone for so long, and Suigetsu wouldn't stop nagging about coming to find you…"

"What the hell Karin! You were the one whining nonstop. '_Oh where, oh where is my poor Sasuke-kun? What if he's hurt and needs me right now to heal him?'_ Me and Juugo here were about to gag from your lovesick rants. Right Juugo?" The only response he got was a flat stare. Karin's face heated up so much she boiled over, complete with whistling steam from the ears, and she turned and glared daggers at him.

"As if! I don't know what you're talking about," she turned back to Sasuke.

"Don't believe a word he says, Sasuke-kun. He's just a child begging for…" she trailed off as another figure came out from behind their stone cold leader. Even Juugo's usual distant self had his full focus on the newcomer. Suigetsu was the first to recover from shock.

"Hey, Sasuke, seems like you've been busy. Look at you, picking up the ladies," He gave a perverted leer, then whacked his redhead teammate on the back. "Guess that means you're out of the running, Karin. Don't feel too bad, she is quite the looker." Karin didn't even notice his antics; she was too busy falling into the eternal chasm of depair. Sasuke's temper was starting to rise, along with the heavy, dark chakra radiating from him. Fear silenced them both, and he spoke.

"This is Lady Nikita. With her, she carries an important secret, and your lives depend on her well-being. Also," he turned sideways to face her, "She is the new Uchiha clan matriarch, and you will respect her as such." He leveled Suigetsu with a red-eyed glare that spoke for itself, who sheepishly disappeared behind his much larger peer.

Karin was busy scrutinizing the other woman. She couldn't figure out why she hadn't felt two chakras before, and reached out with her senses, eventually finding a very small, _non_shinobi chakra signature, and opened her mouth abruptly.

"But she's not a shinobi! Why would you want a _civilian_ like her heading one of the strongest _shinobi_ clans?" Sasuke's attention shifted towards the huffy female in disdain, though she did have a valid point. The scowl on his face vanished with his emotions in check.

"I didn't make the decision, but I am upholding it," was his pointblank response. With that, he began walking. Karin wheeled on Nikita.

"Well, what do you think of all this, being a shinobi clan head and all? Where did he come up with you, anyways? You know he's been gone for days without telling us anything, while you all were just gallivanting the countryside…"

"Karin." She faltered in her rant, mouth agape.

"She doesn't understand Japanese." Karin visibly deflated at the new information.

"O-ho, the plot thickens. Things seem to be getting interesting, don't they Juugo?"

"Hai," he responded, his usual detached mood now centered on the woman moving to catch up with Sasuke.

Karin broke from her stupor minutes later to realize the group was now four tiny dots on the horizon. She jumped up and hurried after them, screeching as she went.

"Hey, wait guys! Wait for me!"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The warm summer sun was high in the sky, the colors around them soft and bright with flickers of light reflecting off the trees. They stretched high above each side of the well traveled path, where the four rogues plus one walked along to whatever destination their leader had in mind. The entire day had passed this way, with mild scuffles breaking out here and there between the rowdier members. For even the weakest shinobi, traveling like this for hours without a break is child's play. So naturally, Sasuke just kept walking along, his mind far away, preparing himself for what may await him once they reached Konoha. The well-being of his teammates wasn't even on his radar.

Nikita's stomach rumbled unhappily for the fifteenth time in who knew how long; she wasn't really good at telling time by the sun. That had been Itachi's thing. He'd know the difference if ten minutes had past or twelve minutes, at any given time of day. She knew Sasuke would have to stop for lunch soon; Itachi always stopped for lunch when the sun was at two o clock…or was it still only eleven right now? She wiped a thin layer of sweat from the back of her neck, where her hair felt heavy and sticky against her skin. She could really use a hair tie right about now. She didn't even know the word for 'hair tie,' and she doubted any of them kept frivolities around like that anyway. It sure was a hot day. She remembered the beautiful lake Itachi had taken her to on a day like today… so picture perfect, like he had built it just for the two of them.

"Itachi-kun, come swim with me!" Nikita called out to him as she splashed about this way and that in the crystal waters. Their make-shift picnic lay spread out over his heavy cloak, with wild berries and strange fruit they had collected together earlier. Itachi lay relaxed on the shoreline in his mesh shirt and dark pants he always wore underneath, content to just watch her, but he always gave in to her wishes. He stood and pulled the flimsy layer of clothing from his tone form up and over his head and kicked his shoes off before diving in with a grace only he could pull off. Nikita watched and waited for him to resurface somewhere nearby, but there was no trace of him anywhere. A frown appeared on her face as more time passed by, but not even a ripple could be seen around her, and a little anxiousness crept its way into her mind. As she peered across the water's surface, a great force launched her up out of the lake into the sky, water droplets raining all around, as she let out a loud squeal of fright that soon turned to delighted laughter as she came back down with a splash.

"I-ta-chi!" she chided as she came back up, though a huge smile was stuck on her face as he pulled her in close.

"Hello, love," he brushed his wet nose against hers in greeting.

"Hello," she giggled back, and he reached up and wiped away the hair stuck to her cheek.

Nikita wiped her cheek where his hand had been, wet with tears and sweat this time instead of cool water. Gone was the beautiful lake, replaced by the humid trees and blaring sun. Her rumbling stomach would never be satisfied by their happy picnic, and Itachi would never come at her call, ever again. Pain wretched at her heart suddenly, with the heat and light and emptiness inside, and her vision swam as everything flipped upside-down and the world went black.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Tch," Karin scoffed to herself. Civilians were so pathetic; that woman had stumbled over her own feet three times already. Plus she was breathing as heavy as a gorilla; Sasuke could do so much better. She was more than willing to take on the clan duties at his side, if he'd only ask. Suigetsu wasn't making things any better; he couldn't keep his eyes forward for squat; he kept looking back like he thought she was worth a second glance…or ten. Karin rolled her eyes at his lack of self control, and saw Juugo turn back his head as well. _Not him too!_ She couldn't take much more of this.

"Sasuke," Juugo quietly spoke out. Sasuke in turn slowed his pace to a halt and turned his head back, sensing uneasiness from the team. Juugo nodded his head to the rear, where Nikita had fallen behind further than expected, looking worse for wear. Suigetsu was also turned around, and stepped out towards her as she brought a pale, shaky hand up to her face. Before any of them even knew she was falling, Sasuke had blown by them to catch her as she fainted dead away, dangling like a rag doll over his outstretched arm.

Then he just stopped. There was this kind of blank stare on his face, like an off button had been pushed or something while they weren't watching. It didn't look he was going to move anytime soon, either.

"Um…Sasuke," Suigetsu called out. "You gonna do something with her?" He sat there for a moment more, then looked up to Juugo.

"What do I do?" Was all he asked.

Everybody deadpanned. Karin grew impatient with where all the attention was going, and blurted out, "She needs water, baka! Don't you guys know how to do anything?" Sasuke glared at Karin for a moment, but she was right.

"Suigetsu," he gave the unspoken order.

"You got it, boss," a couple of handsigns later and the ex mist-nin's body was arching high up and over like a tidal wave straight towards the unconscious woman.

"You'll get hit too, just to let you know," the warning came a little late, as water came crashing down on the pair with a great splash. The splatters of water then began flowing back together as Suigetsu literally collected himself, and a horrific squawk came from their other teammate.

"Oi, bastard, you weren't supposed to get me! I'm _drenched!"_ Karin was dripping from head to toe.

"Oops, my mistake. I'll do better next time, promise," the sarcasm rolling out could have been scraped with a spatula. The spit-eating grin made it just as obvious, too.

Almost as soon as the water hit his skin, it began to evaporate as Sasuke's fire-type chakra burned around him. Nikita coughed and gasped as the shock of cold water in her face brought her back. Her skin was flushed with angry red patches, and her eyes had a glossy appearance to them.

"Sasuke-san?" The way she used his name made Sasuke wince inside. The formal honorific made him feel distanced, pushed away even. Logically he knew that she probably didn't realize the implications, but it still didn't set well with him; she was family now.

Nikita shuffled around and moved to stand, using Sasuke as leverage, but her legs refused to support her and she swayed a little before Sasuke steadied her with a firm grip. At this point they all heard the telltale sound of hunger rumbling through the air, and Nikita's face flushed even harder from embarrassment. Sasuke sighed.

"If only you could tell me what you need," he distressed. Karin scoffed, and the other two piped in as well.

"She's hungry," Karin pointed out.

"She's hot," came from Suigetsu.

"She's exhausted," even Juugo decided to contribute. Poor Sasuke felt he was being ganged up on. His temper began to rise, only to deflate once reason set in.

"Fine," he caved. "I'll go secure some provisions. Get her cooled off while I'm gone." Suigetsu wasted no time volunteering.

"I can take care of that," he practically skipped over to them in eagerness. Karin put her hands on her hips with skepticism.

"What are you going to do, drown her again?" she sneered. Suigetsu feigned hurt, then smirked.

"I'll have you know that water regulates temperature flawlessly. I'm like a walking radiator. She'll be cool as a cucumber in no time," he boasted. Sasuke nodded his approval, but glared furiously as Suigetsu began stripping off his shirt. The silent threat had Suigetsu putting his hands up in defense.

"Easy, Sasuke. Body temperature conducts better skin to skin, you know that," even as he said it, a trace of a grin was still present on his face.

"Whatever. Sasuke, you know he's just being a hentai," said Karin. Sasuke agreed, but help was help. He nodded his consent, and motioned the woman leaning on him towards the water user.

Nikita gave a little resistance. She didn't think this other shinobi looked very trustworthy…not that most shinobi were. She looked anxiously at his lack of modesty. Suigetsu noticed her nervousness and held out comforting hand.

"It's alright, just take my hand. You'll be okay," he coaxed. Slowly she reached out a hand to touch his, not expecting the cool rush she felt at the contact. Relief washed over her as he sat down and pulled her with him, snuggling her back against his bare chest. Ice water seemed to shoot through her to the bone, and she happily accepted it as she sighed in content and closed her weary eyes.

"Karin." The redhead jumped in alarm at Sasuke's voice. He turned toward the trees and prepared to jump. "Keep him in line. I will return soon." With that, he was gone. As always, the tension of the group alleviated without his dark aura suffocating them, and Karin's mouth worked much more freely.

"You're such a disgusting pervert, Suigetsu. You just wanted to feel her up is all. She wouldn't be so relaxed if she knew what you were really after," her finger pointed accusingly at him as she told him off. He just shrugged indifferently.

"Who am I to pass up the chance to hold a beautiful body up against me? It's not like Sasuke gives us the chance to go fool around with the local prospects, you know. Males like us have needs, don't we Juugo?" The quiet man wasn't paying attention; he was busy bird-watching a group of little sparrows.

"Juugo? Hey, Juugo," Suigetsu tried to get the other's attention, but he simply turned and disappeared through the trees in the opposite direction Sasuke had left. The two looked at each other in bewilderment.

"What's gotten into him?" Karin spoke the shared thought. Suigetsu just shrugged, his mind was happy to not ask questions and just relish the rare moment.

Close to mid-afternoon Sasuke returned with a mess of fish and a handful of edible mushrooms. He didn't know what expecting women were supposed to eat, but he figured food was food, as long as it wasn't poisoned. Or fermented; he knew that they weren't supposed to have lots of alcohol…or something like that. He immediately noticed that Juugo wasn't there, though it mattered little. Juugo was the only other member that could keep himself out of trouble, unlike the other two. Currently, though, it seemed they were managing to get along decently. Karin had filled the canteens and was encouraging the woman still sitting in Suigetsu's lap to drink, surprising as it was. He approached and Karin tensed, but didn't turn around and greet him with her usual outcry of "Sasuke-kun, you're back!" She just kneeled there, waiting patiently for Nikita to finish her drink, then took the empty canteen, set another on the ground beside her and stood, finally turning to greet him.

"Oh, hi Sasuke-kun. Wow, you're such a great leader, look at all the fish you caught. You're so amazing!" It sounded the same, but different, though he couldn't really put his finger on why. Nikita looked up and greeted him as well with an "O-ha-yo, Sasuke-san." Again, her use of the formal honorific didn't set well with him. He held up the fish for her to approve.

"You got fish!" she exclaimed in her own language, and all three of the shinobi's ears twitched at the odd jargon. Sasuke laid the mess on the ground between them, and a great big fireball exploded in Nikita's face as Sasuke flame-broiled her dinner. Through the residual smoke he saw her coughing and waving her hand in front of her to clear the air.

"You know, she might be an Uchiha now, but she's still not fireproof, Sasuke," Suigetsu was having a good laugh at the both of their expenses. Seemed like Sasuke was more hazardous to her well-being than anything else. All he received was a dirty look as Nikita tried to decide whether the fish were still safe for consumption or not.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Nikita rubbed her belly happily; boy was she stuffed. She hadn't planned on eating so much, but Sasuke kept insisting that she take another after another until he was satisfied she'd had her fill. The mushrooms tasted a little funny, but everything here tasted funny it seemed. There was a lovely cool breeze now; it felt like a coldfront was ready to move in soon. With the blistering heat finally gone she felt much more relaxed. She was getting sleepy now, and was ready for a nice afternoon nap. The group was chatting around her in a hazy din, making her eyes droop heavily. Next thing she knew her makeshift chair was standing and pulling her up as well, much to her disappointment. She looked around and saw as the other woman cleared the area of any evidence of their stay, mumbling something to herself. Nikita sighed and leaned heavily back into Suigetsu's form. He took notice of her fatigue.

"Are you alright, Nikita-san?" He held her away from him to get a look at her face. Sasuke was there instantly, checking her over and fussing about her condition. There was still too many hours left in the day to stop, but she didn't look like she could walk another step.

"One of you will have to carry her," he stated. Neither really wanted to volunteer for that job. If they were attacked, Karin wouldn't be fast enough with the extra weight to get away, and Suigetsu couldn't use his water form to avoid being hit.

"What about you? You brought her here, why don't you pack her?" Suigetsu questioned. Sasuke spoke matter-of-factly.

"I'd have to hold back in battle, and I have the largest bounty on my head. She'd be targeted along with me for sure." They both gave an understanding "O-oh," and all three debated on their next course of action.

"Well, how bout you…"

"How about a mount?" Juugo emerged from the trees unexpectedly, followed closely behind by a strange beast. As they came into the sunlight, they got a good look at the animal he was leading.

"What kind of a cow is THAT?" Karin squawked loudly. Suigetsu laughed at her.

"Stupid woman, that's not a cow, it's an ox," he belittled. She turned on him harshly.

"Cows and oxes are the same thing, idiot!" she retorted. He just kept laughing.

"You really are stupid, it's ox-en."

"What, now you're being grammatically anal?"

"Shut up," Sasuke interjected. They immediately snapped their mouths closed at his command. Sasuke approached the animal in question, analyzing it's suitability for the job required. He nodded.

"Nice work, Juugo," he ran a hand along it's scraggly coat, then led it over to it's new cargo. Nikita eyed it curiously as he approached, her eyes switching between the two, waiting to see what was going on. Sasuke moved to the side and patted it on the back, holding his hand out to her invitingly, encouraging her to come closer.

"Come, Nikita-sama. For you. Ride." He spoke slowly, briefly, willing her to understand. It took her a moment, but once she figured it out she practically leapt on, more than pleased with her gift. She held a hand out and touched Sasuke on the shoulder.

"Arigato, Sasuke-san," she met his eyes to express her genuine gratitude, and he almost forgot to be irritated with the formal use of his name again. He nodded, then ordered them to begin moving again, leading the way. Juugo grabbed the leader rope of the mystery creature, which followed him obediently, the rider settled in comfortably amidst the shaggy wool. Suigetsu walked alongside him.

"How did you manage to come up with this thing?" he asked curiously. Karin was listening in, she was curious too. Juugo looked up towards the trees thoughtfully and answered, "A little bird told me."

Up ahead they heard Sasuke speak out to them.

"By the way, it's called a yak."

a/n: Hey, icea-blaize here. So how are you all liking it so far? I haven't been editing or anything yet; it's just been type a chapter and post it the minute it's done so far, so if you guys see any mistakes I've made let me know. I'll go back and repost every now and then as errors come up. I've had people comment that words get omitted sometimes, so I like to know that way I can get it fixed right away. Thank you guys for all your support, I really appreciate it. Ja!


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The sky had all but vanished from sight as the party had traveled deeper into the forest. Night was drawing close, and Sasuke began scouting the area for a safe spot to make camp. This terrain was the most familiar to him, and would be much easier for him to defend should they be attacked. Three of the group behind him didn't like the ominous feeling they received from the deep dark woods; the air was thick and heavy, and they couldn't shake the impression of being trapped and surrounded as they went further and further along. Nikita felt like a sitting duck, waiting for an unnamed wild creature to creep down from the trees above and snatch her from her perch. It didn't help that the tiny bit of visible sunlight was slowly fading with the day, and soon she would be blind as well. An awful smell drifted past her briefly, and she wrinkled her nose as she got a better whiff. It seemed to be close, and she kind of recognized it as…body odor? Oh gods was that her that smelt so bad? She had to get a bath soon, and she really didn't want to take one in the pitch black of night. She only hoped there was one nearby; Itachi always stopped near at the least a small creek, if nothing else was available.

She scooted around on her ride and slid down to solid ground, a little wobbly, but she had been riding most of the day. Juugo noticed immediately and stopped to wait for whatever she was going to do. She felt a little awkward breaking the dead silence, but her motivation drove her forward.

"Sasuke-san," she called out to him. That was a lot louder than she'd intended. He stopped and turned, surprised. This wasn't a good spot to stay, there were too many vulnerabilities. He approached her to try and explain that they would stop a little further along.

"We can't stop," he said to her. He shook his head and pointed to the ground and the surrounding trees. As he was motioning, she halted him with a raised hand and a firm "Iie." She pulled a handful of hair forward for him to see and made a disgusted face. She then gestured to herself, and made another disgusted face. Her hands rubbed up and down her arms and to the top of her head, trying to mime washing herself.

Sasuke was stumped; he really, really hated charades. It wasn't clicking for him what she was doing. Was she angry about something? He just didn't know. Karin knew exactly what she wanted, though. She had been thinking the same thing; she hated feeling sweaty and stinky all the time. She translated the makeshift sign language for the dense male.

"She wants a bath, Sasuke-kun. It's so obvious," she stated matter-of-factly and rolled her eyes. She guessed even Uchiha men weren't immune to being clueless of female needs. Sasuke widened his eyes at that. He remembered his old teammate always whining about needing to be clean; they would always "just happen" to be near water when she would bring it up. Now that he was older, it was so obvious that their team leader did that on purpose. There were no coincidences with Kakashi around. He was silent as he surveyed the landscape around, to look for signs of a nearby water source. After a few moments of looking, he pointed out an exact location.

"About 600 meters that way, there should be a suitable place for bathing," he informed her. Nikita just looked at him.

"Sasuke-kun, she's not gonna know…"

"Karin," he startled her into silence. "You will go with her. We will continue on to a place to camp; I'll leave a trail for you to follow." Karin looked like she'd rather eat a bowl of slugs, but she conceded to her leader's wishes, albeit grudgingly. She watched her three teammates walk off without her, and turned to the woman beside her.

"Well, come on," she waved for her to follow and led the way through the dim forest gloomily.

Nikita sat chest high in the little creek happily scrubbing her hair with her little travel soaps. She had to make sure and get extra clean, because who knew when she would get another chance; there was no telling where Sasuke may take them tomorrow. She looked at her bathmate, who didn't seem to be enjoying herself quite so much. Nikita dunked and rinsed her hair of the light suds, then picked up a small bottle of wash from the rocks beside her and offered them out.

"Here," she said. "Here." Karin curiously looked at the little bottle, expecting a heavy floral smell, like most of those smelly soaps noblewomen used. It didn't really have a smell, so she got closer and tried again. Nope, still nothing. After a quick glance at the other woman's face, she cautiously took the bottle into her own hand and looked at it.

"Huh, it's scentless. You're pretty smart for a civilian," she complimented. Nikita didn't understand, but her tone was light and friendly enough. Nikita came closer and gently took the bottle back, then poured some soap into her hand as she came even closer. Karin eyed her, unsure of herself. Were women supposed to do this sort of thing together? She wondered. For as long as she could remember, she had been experiment on in Orochimaru's labs. This kind of thing was new and scary for her, having a normal woman around. The women she knew were all shinobi, and all malicious and foul-tempered. Nervously, she nodded in acceptance, and Nikita gently pulled her fiery colored head down and back and began to work in the suds with a steady, gentle scrub. Karin gradually became used to the odd sensation of having someone else wash her hair, and the two formed a peaceful silence, as Karin, and Nikita, though Karin wouldn't know it, had their first experience with female bonding.

The two girls made their way back through the thick underbrush, feeling refreshed and clean, and much more at ease around each other than before. Both sported matching elegant braids, which made Karin feel a little more girly than she felt comfortable with, but maybe just for tonight it was okay. As they made their way back to the spot where the group had split, Karin spotted the illusion Sasuke had left for them to follow; he had used basic genjutsu to light a brightly colored path. Karin felt a little underestimated at that; how pathetic did he think she was? She could follow an invisible trail just as well as any other dignified shinobi. She sighed with dejection as she made to follow the blaringly obvious path. After they had walked awhile, Nikita stumbled and came to a direct halt.

"Karin?" her voice sounded meek, uncertain. Karin looked back to meet her eyes, only to see that they were moving around, unfocused and searching. After a brief moment, she answered.

"Hai?" Nikita's eyes zoomed in on the sound, looking at her but not seeing, as if she were blind, but the light from Sasuke's genjutsu was plenty bright, enough to see even the dullest of color. She reached up and waved a hand in her face. She followed the movement slightly, like she could see a little bit, but Karin was still confused. Why couldn't she see the path? Karin wasn't an expert on genjutsu, but she could still do the basics. Surely not, but just to make sure… she wove the required handsigns and created a glowing ball of light that fluttered around to and fro, getting close enough to Nikita to touch her eyes. There was no response, and Karin made a vital discovery: Nikita couldn't see genjutsu.

All the way back to camp Karin had held Nikita's hand, leading the way, helping her to avoid rocks and roots that she may trip on. It took a little longer, but they enjoyed each others' company and didn't notice the time so much. So it wasn't long before Nikita pointed ahead with an "Oh!" at the small campfire the guys had built. Sasuke had provided another substantial meal of small game and odd fruit, and their cots were scattered about, ready for a night's rest.

Sasuke looked up, and motioned for Nikita to sit with him beside the fire, where he had her meal set out on a cloth for her. She readily took the offer, though she wasn't nearly as hungry as she had been before. Suigetsu looked up and promptly barked out a laugh.

"Hey, Karin. Trying to catch a date with the locals? They'll probably think you're a little too ugly for them, though," he taunted. Karin blushed and looked away, feeling ashamed at her little indulgence. It only took a moment for Nikita to understand what was happening, and then she was on her feet chewing Suigetsu up one way and down another, hands on her hips. They had no idea what she was saying, but they knew she was saying a lot of it, and she wasn't happy. Suigetsu just kind of coward down like a little child being scolded and took it…she just had that affect it seemed.

Sasuke watched the scene unfold with a mild sense of nostalgia…he remembered his own mother scolding him in the same manner; she will make a fine Uchiha, he mentally praised.

Nikita's rant came to a stop as she spoke her final word on the matter, standing tall with her hands on her hips. Not wanting another round of that, Suigetsu zipped over and wrapped an arm around Karin in a sideways hug, a cheery smile plastered on his face, while Karin stiffened up and blushed even harder, wishing that all the attention wasn't on her for once.

Satisfied, Nikita went back to her place beside Sasuke to finish her meal. The other two took their spots as well, favoring the silence over their usual bickering. Suigetsu glanced over to see Karin's face glowing in the firelight. With her hair done up the way it was, she almost seemed ethereal to him, like a fire fairy, with her red hair and eyes and peaceful gaze. Her eyes slowly turned to meet his, and he could see the flames flickering deep in their reflection…she was almost beautiful. Then she opened that awful mouth.

"What are you looking at, baka?" she screeched. Suigetsu just shrugged and shook his head, chalking it up to sleep deprivation, and decided to call it a night.

"I'm going to turn in. Hey, Juugo, wake me at my shift, hai?" The quiet shinobi nodded, then stood and walked to his post for first watch. Karin yawned, wanting to turn in as well.

"Goodnight, Sasuke-kun," she looked at him hopefully, but he ignored her, as usual. Sasuke rose and snuffed out the fire, moving over to his cot a little further away from the others. Nikita looked, but didn't see a spare one for her. Where was she going to sleep, on the ground? Oh well, it could be worse, she supposed. She felt around from her seat to find the most comfortable patch of dirt, then she heard Sasuke.

"Nikita-sama," he called out to her. She turned and looked, squinting in the dark to make out his darker silhouette. He had his cover held open for her, waving for her to join him. She blushed, "Oh my." Well this was going to be an awkward night. 'But,' she supposed, 'he was being generous enough to share.' He didn't seem to be the womanizing type, in any case. She approached and knelt down, laying with her back to him, keeping a respectable distance, which he promptly violated by wrapping the cover and his arm around her and pulling her flush against him. Very, very awkward, indeed. He didn't make any other movements, and after a while she began to feel comfortable enough that she might be able to sleep tonight. At least she didn't have to sleep in the dirt.

"Arigato, Sasuke-san," she spoke softly. Sasuke's nerves grated with the formality, but what should she call him? Not that awful 'Sasuke-kun' that every fangirl from here to sand country screamed when they saw him. He remembered his cousin Shisui, who had been the closest friend of his brother's, always called him Sasuke-chan. It had irritated him to no end when he had been younger, but it felt right when he thought of being called that now, by someone close to him.

"Chan, Nikita-sama. Sasuke-chan," he urged her. She thought it sounded a little strange, but she tried it out. "Sasuke…chan," she repeated. "Hai," he voiced his approval. Nikita determined that she like the sound of it after all.

"Arigato, Sasuke-chan," she corrected herself, and then settled in for a peaceful night's sleep at last.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The days rolled by lazily for Nikita as she sat and watched the never-changing miles of countryside. Occasionally they would pass by another traveler or two, or she'd see some new, strange creature. She spent most of the time napping or cloud gazing. Occasionally, she'd give her sore legs a stretch and walk for a bit, but Sasuke would always keep her walks short, not wanting her to tire herself out it seemed. He was so insistent about some things, but then she felt like he'd completely forget about her with others. Like when they crossed the river.

She was stretching her legs then, when the river came into sight. There was a little broken bridge she could see further up the river from them, but she didn't think it to look very safe. Of course the rest of them, being shinobi, walked right on top of the water, along with her yak as it waded across with ease. She really didn't want to get wet, but none of them noticed that they left her behind. They just kept walking. She tried calling to them, but the current was strong and noisy, she could barely hear herself. So she worked up some courage and struck out to cross. It wasn't so bad; she'd gotten halfway across without too much struggle. As long as she kept her footing, the water only came up to just above her knees; she should be alright.

A few steps further and her foot found a slippery spot, which she avoided carefully, but it was enough to offset her steady balance and the current washed her legs out from underneath her, and she screamed bloody murder right before she went under. An eternity passed by for her before her arm was wrenched from its socket and she felt herself being hauled roughly to the surface, where she wheezed and gasped in her desperation for air.

"Nikita-sama, Nikita-sama!" her name was being called. A hand was whacking her on the back at random intervals.

"Karin!" she thought it might be Sasuke shouting. A hand was shoved in her face before she felt her lungs heave violently as she vomited a mouthful of river water, then another. She finally began coughing, able to get a little air passing through, and gradually her airways relaxed enough for her to breath somewhat naturally again. She still felt like she'd been hit by a train, though, and her shoulder kind of hurt. Of course, now that the initial panic was gone, she became a little more aware of just how much her shoulder really hurt. She went to move it, but something didn't feel quite right, and she hissed in the delayed pain.

"Please," she choked out with her still sore lungs. "Help, please," she held her burning injury with her other hand as she pleaded with whoever was standing close. She heard shouting from several voices before her vision was filled with someone's cloak, and she could see a soft green light off to the side of her before the burning disappeared and she could move normally again.

She looked up to see Juugo nod to her before standing and helping her to her feet.

"Arigato, Juugo-san," she bowed to him gratefully. She rolled her shoulder a couple of times to get rid of the stiffness it held. Sasuke promptly picked her up and walked her over to plop her back down onto her four-legged transport. He lowered his head in guilt, and apologized.

"Gomen nassai, Nikita-sama," he sounded so sullen. She didn't know what she was supposed to do in response, so she simple laid her hand on top of his head and kind of ruffled his hair in an act of forgiveness of sorts. She didn't know how to tell him that it was alright, but she hoped he understood. Truthfully, she kind of felt a little guilty herself; if she wasn't so frail, she wouldn't have caused so much trouble. She felt so inadequate traveling with shinobi.

"Oh, Sasuke-chan," she sighed. He stood and turned to the others, speaking briefly before setting off again, choosing to take the leader rope himself instead of Juugo. The rest of the day was spent in a dull silence, and Nikita stayed lost in though even as she drifted off to sleep late into the night.

Early morning found Nikita tossing and turning on her cot, vague dreams plaguing her mind. She woke with a start, the cool damp air helping to relax her anxiety. The sun was still below the horizon, and there was dew on the ground around her and on her cover. Sasuke wasn't there, she noticed. She looked around, seeing another cot was empty as well. She got up and stretched her muscles to wake herself up a little better, and wandered to the edge of the treeline, where she knew they usually kept watch from. She found a sleepy Suigetsu there, his eyes droopy and his hair was a little mussed; they must have just changed posts.

"Ohayou, Suigetsu-san," she greeted him quietly. He gave her a lazy salute and mumbled something unintelligible, even for his own language. She looked around a minute and back to him.

"Sasuke?" she asked him, wondering if he knew where Sasuke had gone off to. He nodded and pointed to a spot through the trees, where she could just barely see something reflecting, and thanked Suigetsu before making her way through the thick underbrush.

She found him doing a series of katas, moving fluidly from one to the next, looking so peaceful as he moved. She stayed out of sight, not wanting to disturb his concentration. He made them look so easy, and she couldn't help wanting to try it too. She attempted to mimic his movements, his precision, but it was much harder than it looked. There was one where he raised his arms high and made a swift spin around and low to the ground, which she tried to do too, and ended up teetering over and falling into the bushes. As she tried to free herself from the sharp and crackling brush, Sasuke walked up to give her a hand, a question forming on his features. After she was standing, he stopped and looked at her, waiting for a reason. She gave him a sheepish look and simply said, "Katas," before showing him her feeble stances that she copied from him. He gave her a look of incredulity to hide his amusement at her pitiful form. He corrected her posture, and tried to help her stretch her muscles a little more than they really wanted to, before shaking his head and showing her one of the easiest stances he knew of. She followed his lead, with him correcting her more often than not on arm placement and her awful posture, and when they finished she felt about as wobbly as jell-o, but she was happy; she had something to work towards now as they traveled for kami knew how much longer. He led the way back to their camp, snorting in derision at Suigetsu, asleep at his post, as the light grew brighter and their day of endless traveling began.

Far along into the day found the team back to their normal selves. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits, enough for even the rowdy two to begin their usual bickering once more. Nikita stretched, still sore, and slid down to the ground to have a short walk. Her pants twisted a bit on the way down, so she grabbed the waistband to readjust them, only they felt a little off. She did feel a bit bloated, and she hadn't been that hungry at breakfast, like her stomach was too full. Maybe it was the time of the month already. She groaned; how was she going to explain this one to Sasuke? The more she thought about it, the more she wondered. It had been awhile since her last one. Just how long had it been? She couldn't really remember; the days all blended together, and it was hard to keep track of time. The last time Itachi had still been with her, and it was many many days before he'd told her good-bye for the last time. She stopped that train of thought and went back to counting, before a bit of panic set in. There was no way, she thought. It had been too long.

The rest of the party had stopped at her groaning and was now watching her as she counted along her fingers, mumbling to herself. Sasuke had a good idea of what was going on; she was coming to the realization of what he already knew. He made eye contact with her as she looked up in wonder, a hand on her stomach.

"Itachi," she whispered. Sasuke nodded, then he closed the distance between them and put his hand over hers.

"Itachi?" she asked him. He nodded, and her face broke out into a face-splitting smile.

"Itachi!" she shouted happily, and she threw her arms around his neck as feelings of happiness welled up inside of her. Sasuke was not unaffected, but contained his feelings in favor of watching her express hers. He wasn't expecting the outburst of wails that followed, though, and he soon became uncomfortable and lost as the now sobbing woman streamed tears through his shirt.

The other members were a little shocked. Wasn't Itachi the hated brother that Sasuke had killed in his revenge?

"Hey, Sasuke. What's she going on about, what's the deal?" Suigetsu inquired. Still slightly frantic, Sasuke was glad for the distraction.

"She's realized that she's expecting," he answered, as he patted her head somewhat clumsily. The gears turned in all their heads, putting in the missing pieces to the puzzle. The mention of Sasuke's older brother, her becoming matriarch, talks of a baby…

"Is it… your brother's?" Suigetsu ventured cautiously. Sasuke nodded.

"You mean she's not _**your**_ girlfriend!" Karin burst out suddenly. Sasuke gave her an 'are you crazy?' kind of look, before he realized that they all were looking at him with the same question in their eyes.  
"No," he answered slowly, "She is my brother's widow." They all gave an 'O' of understanding, and Karin came up to give comfort like only another female could, much to Sasuke's relief, and she led the distressed woman a ways away to give her some space to calm down.

"Well that makes more sense, anyway. We just couldn't picture you of all people roving around wooing women. You wouldn't know the first thing about it," Suigetsu mused. He received a dirty look and shrugged. "Well, it's true. Right, Juugo?" He actually received an answer this time.

"Hai."

Well, at least it was something. Sasuke felt defeated. Even the distant Juugo was in agreement on this one. He wasn't that bad, was he?

Night had fallen, with the travelers sleeping soundly, Sasuke taking his turn at the watch. There were no signs of danger for a long ways out, but that didn't mean that they weren't there. It just meant that he couldn't see any yet. He was always on high alert; enemies were everywhere for him. Well, almost everywhere. There was one person who he could be at ease around. He glanced back at his occupied cot, where he had left her asleep. He could see her moving a bit, shuddering, as if she were chilled. He moved closer to her, planning on tucking the cover tighter around her. He could hear her whispering foreign words, sadness laced in the sound.

"Itachi…" he picked up on his brother's name, and knew she was feeling the pain of loss once more. He knelt over her and whispered her name.

She turned over and met his eyes, her own bleary and clouded.

"Itachi-kun?" she asked. She must still be dreaming, he thought to himself. He felt maybe, just for a moment, he could pretend…

"Hai," he answered back. She gave a happy, sleepy smile, and brought her arms up and around him, bringing him down to lay with her. She didn't speak, she just held him tightly, giving a few tender kisses across his skin and face. She met his eyes and frowned.

"Itachi-kun, your sharingan," she chided softly. Sasuke closed his red eyes, and reopened them to reveal his dark ones for her. The frown disappeared, and she sighed happily, reaching up to touch her lips softly to his own. He pressed into her, relishing the rare moment of peace she brought him. Her breath became heavy, and her skin grew hot as her hands began to caress his skin, finding the folds of his shirt and urging him along with her. It felt so right to him, this moment, he found himself following her lead, letting her take him on a ride to magical heights he'd never felt before.

They laid there in the afterglow, waiting for their breath to calm, and Nikita slowly became aware of where she was and what had happened. She looked at the man laying with her.

"Sasuke?" she wondered at his actions. He hoped she would understand, he'd wanted to give her some peace, to ease the suffering in her heart if only for a moment. She smiled, still sleepy, and laid her head back down to rest.

"Arigato, Sasuke-chan," she told him, and she wrapped an arm around his waist as she snuggled back in his embrace and fell fast asleep. After he was sure she was settled in, he carefully pulled himself away from her and tucked the cover around her, before rising and going back to his post to wait for dawn, feeling much more at peace than he had for a long time.

Suigetsu lay on his own cot, completely silent with his mouth agape as he processed the scene he had just witnessed.

It just wasn't fair, he pouted to himself.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

a/n: Hello hello! I just wanted to give a shout out to all my readers and reviewers…I love you all! Nothing makes my day brighter than looking at my emails and seeing reviews for my latest chapters. I hope you guys are still liking the story as much as I am writing it… I'm trying hard to keep the chapters rolling along for you all. So enough with the pre-notes, on to chapter 10!

The air was filled with a happy sort of humming, courtesy of the expecting mother riding along, enjoying her newfound hobby: carving. Karin had loaned out an old kunai knife, too dull for battle, but still good enough for its current purpose. Evidently, pregnant women liked to make stuff; before she discovered carving, she had kept trying to make stuff to wear out of weeds, which never turned out pretty. There would have been a trail miles long of woven bits and pieces of grass and flowers she kept throwing away had they not been secretly backtracking to dispose all of them. Anything to keep Sasuke satisfied, they reasoned. Not to mention keeping the emotional timebomb under wraps; they never knew when she would start wailing for no apparent reason whatsoever.

The first time she went off, Sasuke had panicked and bailed, leaving the rest of them to scramble for a solution. After they'd reached their limits and decided to abandon her until further notice, Sasuke had returned with an armload of sweet fruits. Immediately her tears stopped and a wide smile erupted on her face, much to the others' utter exasperation, and now Sasuke thought that food was the fix to everything that ailed her.

But it seemed that the little wooden creations were keeping her satisfied for now, and they could concentrate a little more on their surroundings.

With Karin able to focus her senses, she picked up on a foreign chakra signature that was tailing them.

"Sasuke-kun, behind us," she reported. They all turned their attention to the rear, where they didn't see anything at first, but Karin was never wrong.

"Show yourself, or I will force you out," Sasuke gave the deadly threat. There was a rustling from the shrubbery on the roadside, where a little pug padded out from underneath.

"Hey, Sasuke. Is that anyway to treat an old acquaintance?" the pug named Pakkun inquired with his droopy gaze.

The rest of his team was curious about the strange newcomer.

"Do you know this dog, Sasuke?" Suigetsu asked. Sasuke turned his back dismissively, intending to move on.

"It's of no importance," he told them. "Let's go." Just as he took a step, a strange form began sprouting out of the tree branch above them, and ended up as the monochromatic torso of a plant/man, who spoke to them.

"Uchiha Sasuke, I have a message from Tobi." He pulled a wrapped parcel out to toss down at their feet. "Konoha is in ruins; you will gain nothing by attacking it further. Instead, he asks that you take your brother's place in our organization, and accept the mission he has for you."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. Someone had beaten him to destroy Konoha? He was skeptical about the whole ordeal.

"What's in it for me?" he demanded. The man bowed and responded.

"As an espionage specialist, I can find those who you wish to kill; certain people who were involved with your brother's orders to kill your clan." Half of his mouth turned up into a dark, wicked smile, exposing razor-sharp teeth.

Sasuke weighed the offer carefully, and decided it to be a valid trade.

"We accept the circumstances. What is the mission?"

"Capture the eight-tailed host. Alive." He shrank back into the tree he was sticking out of, before he disappeared completely. Sasuke picked up the dropped package and opened it to find four black cloaks similar to that of the Akatsuki's. He tossed one to each of his teammates before donning his own. Juugo held his for a moment, a thought striking his mind.

"Sasuke, we can't take Nikita-san on a mission; it's sure to get her killed or worse," he looked at his leader, then at the girl. She was scratching the belly of the little Konoha visitor. Sasuke knew Juugo was right; it was too risky. There was no place he knew of, though, that she could stay for an indefinite amount of time. She certainly couldn't take care of herself, either, and if she were found by the wrong shinobi…

"What do you think, Juugo-san?" Sasuke asked, needing sound advice for the important matter. The little pug rolled over and stood, addressing the problem at hand.

"Hey, Sasuke. Us dogs are the best bet you have, it seems. Leave her with us, we'll keep watch over her." Sasuke knew it wasn't that easy; he had something in mind that he was planning, obviously. But, what other option did he have?

"Fine," he relented. "But when I come back for her, there will be no problems from you, or any of yours."

"Hai," the little dog agreed. Sasuke made his way to Nikita, and held his hand out to her. Up to this point, she hadn't been paying attention to the shinobi and their dealings; she knew somewhat about what they did, and that it usually didn't concern her. So when Sasuke walked over, she figured that they were done and ready to leave once more. But he pointed to the little dog at her feet.

"Stay with Pakkun," he told her. She didn't understand what he was saying. She looked at him in confusion.

"Stay," he said. He let go of her hand and took a few steps back, and held a hand up when she made to follow. She was still confused. He wanted her to stay with the dog? Itachi had always left her with one of his comrades, usually Kisame-san, or even one of his 'clones.' That always weirded her out, watching him make a clone; but it was for the best, she knew. Why didn't Sasuke just make a clone, like Itachi did?

Nikita tried to imitate the hand sign for clones she had seen Itachi make before. Her fingers didn't like to stretch that way, but she managed to make it recognizable.  
"A clone?" Sasuke thought out loud. He wondered what she was trying to ask him. Pakkun understood; he often got this with civilians. She simply wasn't used to the idea of nin-dogs in general.

He gave a few barks, and three other dogs wearing Leaf headbands appeared. Pakkun looked around, then barked again, impatiently. A booming 'Woof!' rattled the shinobi's ears, and a huge brown dog walked silently out of the woods. All the shinobi's, including Sasuke's, eyes were the size of saucers. How did they all manage to tail them undetected? Especially that lumbering giant of a canine; there was just no way. They heard as Pakkun barked out orders, then saw the canines scramble, only to reappear with all the comforts of an outdoor home. Campfire, dinner, blankets, cushions; one dog reached behind to pull a large scroll off its back, opened it up and pressed his front paw into the seal there. They all jumped back as a private _bathhouse_ popped up out of the smoke, the perfect size for a single person to relax in the hot steamy bath water waiting inside. Nikita cautiously tiptoed over to investigate what this strange building was. Once she peeked inside, she turned and squatted down to pat the nearest dogs on the head, looking up and waving at Sasuke with a "Ja ne, Sasuke-chan." This brought Sasuke out of his stupor, then he shook some sense back into his skull and turned to his team.

"Let's go, Taka." They all bent their knees and sprung off through the trees, except for Sasuke, who glanced back and gave a "Ja ne, Nikita-sama," and then he vanished too. Nikita looked around at all the dogs around her, thinking she hadn't been in this strange of a situation for a long time.

"Well," she said to the dogs. "I've got a private bathtub. It could have been much worse than this," she reasoned happily. She knew they didn't understand, but it felt better than talking to people who didn't understand. At least they seemed to be smart dogs. She bent down and scratched another one behind the ears, and the others crowded her for their turn. They've had far worse missions to carry out than this one. They were all going to make do just fine with each other, for sure.


End file.
